Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources V. Alfred Gray said yesterday he doesn't believe the Progressive Liberal Party's

(PLP) brand is damaged, despite recent "fall-outs" in the party.
"PLPs will be PLPs," said Gray before heading into a Cabinet meeting. "We have a core support group, which is about 40 to 45 percent of the electorate.
"We believe that they will stay with the party, despite there being some disgruntlement here and there.
"Just like the FNM, they have a core support group that will not change except for their splits here or there.
"... There would be in my view some fall-outs for one reason or the other, but nobody in their right mind will justifiably say that the PLP is split like the FNM; not only are they damaged, they [are] split up."
During an interview with The Nassau Guardian during the Black Friday protest in Downtown Nassau two weeks ago, Speaker of the House of Assembly Dr. Kendal Major said the party's brand is damaged.
Hundreds of Bahamians participated in a march and 12-hour occupation of Bay Street, highlighting a variety of issues and demanding government accountability.
When asked whether the PLP is a hard sell, Major said, "The PLP's brand is damaged. There's no question about it. The PLP is a hard sell; no question about that. I see it. I feel it and the public is reminding me of it every day that I go door to door, and I'm very concerned about it, and so we need to continue to keep the fight."
Gray suggested yesterday that hiring in the new year will improve the government's prospects of re-election.
"Wait till January comes, wait till our public relations start, wait till the Bahamian people can see the total picture and compare apples with apples," Gray said.
"At the moment there may be some things that trouble us as a party because we have not done in my view all that we want to do, particularly for the people of our country, I mean individuals.
"We have hired a lot of people. There are a lot of people unemployed.
"We believe that some things are in the mill, and once we can hire five, six thousand people and people have money in their pockets they don't care who the government is.
"A broke man is concerned about that, but people who are working and making money, whoever gets into power, he says to himself he [has] to work."
Gray referred to Prime Minister [Perry] Christie's latest announcement that Baha Mar will proceed with "imminent hiring" of 1,500 employees in the new year to coincide with the mega resort's phased opening, and 4,300 jobs by December 2017.
"By May next year the temperature will change because people who are unemployed are always upset," Gray said.
"If I ever got unemployed I probably won't be talking to anybody.
"But if I can get a job at the hands of a government that I believe went out of their way to make it happen, it's always some kind of response to that kind of gratitude being showed.
"... Comparatively speaking, I would rather the PLP on the worst day than the FNM on its best day."
The MICAL MP also said he is seeking re-election.
"I am running again, by the help of the Lord, and I'm in it to win it," Gray said.
"I hadn't really intended to, but the way the country is going and the way I see the alternative to the present government, I am disposed to making sure it does not happen."
Gray has had several personal controversies, which critics believe have damaged the PLP's brand this term.
Last year, he was placed on the defensive after reports arose that he had interfered in a judicial matter in his constituency.
Gray was stripped of his local government portfolio, but the attorney general determined that, due to conflicting evidence, there would be no prosecution in the matter.
More recently, Gray was the subject of public backlash after The Nassau Guardian revealed that he had granted the go-ahead to Bahamas Ambassador to China Paul Andy Gomez to pursue the further development of a proposal which called for Chinese involvement in the fishing and farming industries in The Bahamas.
Gray had called the proposal "progressive".
On Monday, he said the letter to the ambassador has been rescinded, though he still accused The Guardian of seeking to target him for political gain.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian